Mother Nature is pointing a frosty finger at the Pittsburgh region this weekend, and meteorologists predict nearly a foot of snow could fall.
The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings across a 2,000-mile stretch of the U.S., from New Mexico to New England. Conditions are expected to start locally at 7 p.m. Saturday and last until noon Monday.
But each year, communities in the North Hills gear up ahead of the icy, cold snaps by readying their salt supplies early on, including Franklin Park.
“Franklin Park Borough begins each winter season with a fully stocked salt dome of approximately 3,000 tons. At this time, our salt supply is approximately 1,500 tons, with additional orders already placed through North Hills Council of Governments and PennDOT,” borough Manager Zachary Filous said.
This year, the borough intentionally split its salt contract between two suppliers to reduce the risk of shortages and to ensure continuity during significant winter events, he said.
“Historically, neighboring municipalities have also coordinated to assist one another if a community experiences critically low supplies during major storms,” he said.
Bob Grimm, manager of Marshall, also is comfortable with the township’s inventory.
“Marshall’s salt supply is more than sufficient to get us through this upcoming storm and the majority of the remainder of the winter,” he said.
Marshall purchases salt through a state contract, via PennDOT, and deliveries have not been delayed so far, he said.
“If we would ever run into a situation where supply was low, like many other communities, we’d conserve by salting hills and intersections,” he said.
Marshall will have 12 plow trucks navigating the township’s roadways during the storm.
Grimm said it’s difficult to place a firm number on how much salt is needed every year.
“It’s really based on how much storage each community has and how much is needed per storm. In our case, we started the year with over 3,500 tons and have received deliveries throughout the season,” Grimm said.
But that starting amount will vary from community to community, Grimm said.
Many North Hills communities are in a multimunicipal contract bid sponsored by the North Hills Council of Governments. Nearly all of the municipal members comprising the NHCOG participated in a joint purchasing contract with a supplier, according to the northhillscog.org.
Bradford Woods purchases salt through the NHCOG contract with Morton Salt, according to its manager, Rusti Null.
With only about 10 miles of public roads in Bradford Woods, it only has one small salt shed and one truck for salting and plowing, she said.
Because the borough’s salt bin holds only one-third to one-quarter of the amount of salt typically used there in a winter, its salt supply has to be carefully managed, she said.
“So far this season, we have received a steady supply of salt and have not been concerned about running out,” Null said.
McCandless Public Works provides an annual report of the number of times its trucks salt, plow or go out on the road, with totals dating back to 1993.
The town’s crews were out salting 42 times last winter, compared with 16 times in the 2023-24 season, according to the report.
Its trucks were dispatched 22 times in the 2022-23 and salted 18 times. They plowed only 10 times last winter and three times in 2023-24.
Brad Iannuzzi, supervisor of McCandless Public Works, said his crew had 11 snow callouts in December with one weekend’s callout lasting 30 hours, according to his report to council Jan. 12.
In a statement posted Friday on the town’s website, the department said preparations already are underway for the weekend storm, and crews will be on 12-hour rotating schedules until its end.
Residents are advised to keep the roadways clear for plows and to not park on the street or cul-de-sacs. The town also requested residents clear fire hydrants while removing snow from their property and to not shovel it onto the streets.
McCandless Councilman Nathan Babich recently noted the crews’ hard work.
“I was in a neighboring municipality on New Year’s Eve, well after midnight, and as soon as we crossed in McCandless, it was night and day. The roads were clear. It was much safer. You guys did a very good job,” Babich said.
The snow and ice control program provides for the salting and plowing on 110 miles of McCandless roads and 20.12 miles of state-owned roads. State road mileage encompasses all state roads in the town with the exception of Route 19 and McKnight Road, but includes their ramps, according to townofmccandless.org.
Filous is alerting residents of the forecasted snow storm, which is set to begin Saturday evening.
The borough will be posting notices on its website and social media channels to alert residents of the upcoming winter storm. Residents will be asked not to park on borough streets this weekend, as public works crews will be actively clearing the road system, he said.
Franklin Park owns and maintains approximately 64 miles of roadway. The borough’s snow removal priorities are: arterial (major) roadways, followed by school bus routes, neighborhood roads and finally cul-de-sacs, according to franklinparkborough.us.
The National Weather Service currently is forecasting about 13.8 inches of snow in Allegheny County, he said.
“We are also encouraging residents to use caution and limit travel if possible during the storm,” Filous said.
Bradford Woods also posted it is unlawful park on roads during a snow event, reminding residents it also is a violation of borough ordinance to shovel snow onto a public road.
Marshall also prioritizes its roadways under a three-tiered system, ensuring that arteries and bus routes are cleared first, according to its website.